


This is war, My fingers are sore.

by Erikapell



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), betty and jughead, bughead - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-10-31 12:20:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10899234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erikapell/pseuds/Erikapell
Summary: There's war beginning between the Southside and the Northside in the tiny town of Riverdale. Betty Cooper is living in absolute anguish at the hands of her abusive boyfriend Chuck Clayton and her overbearing parents. Jughead Jones is just trying to do what he was born to do. When the two meet the instant connection is enough to make both of them feel that maybe there is a way out. Maybe together they can make it better.  Maybe together they can make a home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, enjoy my story! Comments are lovely!

Jughead held the rag to his nose, cursing under his breath as his friends all tended to their injuries. They had been jumped, absolutely wrecked by some Riverdale goonies in Blue and Yellow Letterman Jackets. Jughead recognized them instantly when they ran onto the Southside Basketball courts, Chuck Clayton leading the way as he and his idiotic, brain dead jock teammates face off against The younger generation of he Southside Serpents, a notorious gang in the darker parts of Riverdale.  
Neither side had won the fight, both groups of boys going home with some serious injuries, however they had stolen his Leather Jacket and he was fairly pissed about that.  
“I’ll kill them” a burly boy named Dean stated, spitting tobacco on the ground as he cracked his knuckles, nursing a seriously bruised cheek.  
“We have to retaliate, maybe hit up that Diner they’re always going too.“A dirty teenager shouted from the back.  
Beside him his closest friend and fellow Serpent ,Keith, rolled his eyes, elbowing Jughead with an exasperated shrug.  
Jughead shook his head, wincing as he removed the rag  
"We’ll get them back, but for now…we make them wait.. they’ll be waiting for us. Make them shake a bit” he said simply, as the other boys nodded in agreement. The Serpents always listened to Jughead, he was the voice of reason And with his father being the gang leader he had somewhat of a pull.  
There was a soft knock on the door, all of the boys went quiet as it slowly opened, revealing the one thing no one was expecting.  
In walked an incredibly beautiful, blonde teenaged girl, her long hair pulled tightly in a ponytail and her shiny green eyes looking nervously around the bar, she had on a floral blue skirt and a clean white sweater, considering the fact that it was definitely over eighty degrees the choice of top confused Jughead, she stepped forward a nervous smile gracing her perfect heart shaped lips. She had a familiar leather jacket clenched in her hands and she seemed taken aback by everyone staring at her  
“Umm hello. I’m so sorry to interrupt but I have something to return.”  
Even her voice was soft like cotton. She held out the leather jacket to the group  
“I found this in my boyfriends car, I know it doesn’t belong to him so I thought I would bring it back on my own.” She looked around, waiting for someone to claim it, her fingers twitching.  
Snapping out of his daze Jughead walked towards the gorgeous blonde.  
“That’s mine, your boyfriends an asshole” he said simply, standing before her and gently taking the jacket, his eyes fluttering closed for a second as he inhaled the fresh vanilla and peach that wafted off of her.  
“You have no idea” she smiled sadly, something in her eyes made Jughead want to reach for her, grab her and wrap her up. “I’m so sorry about this, he just.. he gets that way sometimes, Chuck should never have taken your things and he definitely should never have attacked you all.” She looked around, her sad green eyes growing more desperate by the second, he wanted to make her feel better, something he wasn’t used to feeling. Jughead jones didn’t care about anyone but himself and his gang.  
“It’s not your fault he’s a dick” he said monotone .  
He saw a glint of something in her eyes as she giggled and he felt a tiny bit of pride for being the one to put it there. She coughed a bit and nearly every Serpent ran towards her, shoving beers in her face.  
“Oh!” She exclaimed, smiling at the gesture “That’s very sweet, but I’m okay.” She coughed again and this time Keith pushed his beer a bit too fast, spilling most of it on her sleeves, Jughead shoved his friend away from the blonde and then rest of the Serpents shouted at him, smacking him upside the head  
“That’s okay!” She laughed, an honest to god happy laugh “it’s just some beer” she rolled up her sleeves to her elbows and Jughead had to bite back the hiss at what he saw. Her arms were covered in purple and blue bruises, fingerprint shaped marks littered her wrists and by the collective growl he knew the other boys had seen it too. He was going to kill Chuck Clayton.  
The Serpents didn’t make the best decisions but one thing they didn’t tolerate was abuse to any woman, especially this gorgeous angel.  
Her eyes went wide and she began pulling her sleeves down“Well, once again I want to apologize for my classmates behavior. I’d like to say it won’t happen again, but when you make Chuck Clayton mad.. well there’s really nothing you can do.” She shrugged helplessly as she headed towards the door, waving slightly to the people she passed.  
When she was almost at the door Jughead looked up to see each and every Serpent looking at him with threatening eyes.  
“Go after her you dumbass” dean whispered loudly.  
Rolling his eyes Jughead headed for the door just in time to catch her before she stepped into her black minivan.  
“Hey!” He called, causing her to spin around.  
“Is everything okay?” She asked, concerned.  
“Everything’s fine, you just didn’t tell me your name.” He smirked, pulling his leather jacket on and sticking a cigarette into his mouth.  
Betty stared at him, that same glint he had seen a few moments ago back in her eyes. She plucked the cigarette from his mouth, popping it into her pocket and beaming  
“My names Betty Cooper, I’ll see you around…?” she trailed off, waiting for him to fill in the blank.  
“Jughead. Jughead Jones” he answered, still in awe of the angel in front of him.  
“Okay. I’ll see you around… Jughead Jones.” With that, she got in her car and drove towards her personal hell. Riverdale, the town with pep.  
Meanwhile Jughead was staring at her retreating car, his face stuck in a stupid grin.  
Keith and Dean came up behind him, calling for the other Serpents.  
“So.. what’s her name?” Dean asked as the low mumble of the Serpents came from behind him.  
“It’s Betty.. Betty Cooper. Maybe you were right, maybe we should pay the diner a friendly visit sooner than I thought.” He said, his eyes hardening at the thought of Betty’s “boyfriend”  
You want a war Chuck Clayton? You got one. And this time?  
He was gonna save fair Juliet.


	2. Chapter 2

Betty tucked a loose strand of honey blonde hair behind her ear, adjusting her cheerleading uniform and throwing her bag over her shoulder as she started on her walk home. She took a deep breathe and inhaled the fresh spring to summer air as the sky drizzled, sunshowers were here absolute favorite thing in the world, it was almost as if the universe was saying, even sunshine needs to cry sometimes. Betty brought her fingers up to her face, wincing as she touched a particularly nasty bruise under her eye, the wet mist was washing away her makeup and leaving the evidence of chucks anger visible for all to see. 

He had been so angry last night when he found out the jacket was gone, his default was to blame her and as hard as she lied and tried to deny it, he wouldn't stop hitting her, wouldn't stop screaming at her, calling her the most disgusting names.

Of course she wanted to leave him, who would want to stay in a relationship like this? When she was younger she had always dreamed of falling in love, finding someone who loved her for all she was, she had written endless pages about it in her diary. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked out that way, Chuck had hunted her down, he had chosen her because she was pretty, because she was easy prey, and she had fallen for it. He spewed lies about the cheerleader and the quarterback, that they were meant to be, the pretty words and secret kisses had only lasted so long before the real Chuck had shown up. So yeah, she wanted to leave him, wanted to run away, but she couldn't. She was too scared and she was too weak, his threats always echoing in her mind. 

"If you leave me, I'll kill you. Who are you going to run too? Your parents? Please. They'd laugh in your face, tell you you deserved it." He would spit, and he was right,her parents were fully aware of the way the football treated their daughter but they did nothing to stop it. 

Betty could still remember the first time she had come home with a black eye from Chuck, she woke up the next morning to a tube of concealer and a note from her mother 

"Please ice the bruise, you have homecoming next week and it would be unseemly to have a swollen eye in your pictures. Next time, just keep quiet." 

Betty laughed bitterly at the memory   
"And don't forget to pick up your medication Elizabeth." She mocked, drawing her fingernails into her palms. 

"You talking to the voices inside your head?" 

Betty whipped around at the teasing voice and felt her heart stop at the sight of Jughead Jones standing casually against a trash can in the middle of the park. 

"Jughead! What are you doing here?" She asked, a smile tugging on her lips. 

He shrugged, moving closer to her.  
"I was in the neighborhood, saw you walking all alone. Don't you know there's a turf war going on little lady?" He smirked before his entire face fell at the sight of the swollen bruise on her eye. 

"That fucker did this to you?" He asked lowly, his eyes dangerous.

Betty reached a hand to her eye before dropping it, she had given up 

"He was angry with me. I should have known he would be, I shouldn't have even been near him.." she was cut off by Jughead slender, rough fingers gently stroking the darkening skin. 

"It's not your fault. He's sick, and he'll get what's coming to him. I can promise you that." He growled, his face a breath away from hers. His eyes were intense as he whispered "how could anyone do this to you? Of all the people in the world, you." He whispered, his voice sounded foreign even to himself, hoarse and angry. 

Betty smiled sadly, dropping her forehead to Jugheads, he was practically a stranger, she definitely didn't know him well enough to be this close to him, but beside him, his hands on her waist, she felt safer than she had her entire life. 

"I'm really not that special." She whispered. 

Jughead pulled away, cupping her chin with his fingers 

"That's where you're wrong Betty Cooper, you're the most special person I've ever met." She smiled crookedly as he pulled away, swinging an arm over her shoulder. 

Betty laughed at the lazy way he strut through town, she asked about the Serpents, he asked about her uniform, she told him about Veronica and he told her about Keith. When they finally arrived at Betty's front porch Betty was out of breath from laughing so hard and Jugheads cheeks ached from the constant smiling. 

Walking her to her front porch, something shifted in the beautiful blondes eyes 

"What's the matter angel?" He asked concerned, the nickname rolling off his tongue.

"If Chuck sees you... he'll kill you.. I shouldn't have put you in this position.. I'm so sorry .. I..." Jughead cut her off as he clutched her hand 

"Don't you worry about me, I've got my boys surveying these streets. They seem to have taking quite a liking to you, im not the only one who has Chuck in my sights." He reassured her.

Betty still looked skeptical but he took comfort in the way her shoulders relaxed slightly. She raised a palm to his cheek and rested it ther, her fingers gently stroking the space beside his ear 

"Thanks for walking me home. I'll see you soon?" She asked.

Jughead nodded with a smirk, popping the collar of his leather jacket and raising a brow 

"You got it Juliet." 

With one last glance at the dark haired boy Betty closed her front door, leaning her back against it and smiling. 

Jughead walked the dark streets of Riverdale, his hand coming up to touch the space that Betty had rested her hand, he smiled. 

Oh Chuck was definitely going down.


	3. 3

Betty pushed herself further into the side of the booth, inhaling the familiar scent of fake leather and French fries. Chucks arm was loose around her shoulders as he laughed obnoxiously at something one of the football players had said and stuffed a sandwhich into his mouth, every time the darkest skinned boy moved abruptly, Betty felt her heart stop. Running a finger over her sore thigh, she glanced down at the fingerprint shaped bruises beggining to form under the short cheerleading skirt she had on. This was a common occurrence for Chuck, if he felt that Betty was ordering too much or speaking too loudly he would squeeze her leg under the table, bruising her and instantly shutting her up. Feeling the onset of tears coming on, Betty squeezed her eyes shut and sunk further into the booth, further into herself.

The high pitched tinkling of the bells to the diner doors broke her out of her daze and her eyes widened at the sight, sure enough in walked the very boy who had been on her mind day in and day out. 

Jughead Jones, snug in his Southside jacket while a cigarette dangled from his lips, was followed by almost all the boys Betty had seen that night at the bar, equally smug looks on their faces as they casually strolled into Pops. Jughead caught Her eyes and winked, his face darkening when he saw her teary eyes and the angry boy beside her. 

Chuck and the football team all hopped up from the booth, rearing the corner and coming toe to toe with the Southside. 

"What do you think you're doing here, are you lost? This isn't your side of town, you've got a lot of nerve showing up here especially after what you did to our trucks." The quarterback growled in Jugheads face as he lazily stepped back 

"Ah yes, the tire popping. A little juvenile I'll admit but hey, alls fair in love and war." Jughead allowed his eyes to stray to Betty for a bit too long as she made her way beside Chuck. 

Chuck noticed the lingering looks between the pair and gripped Betty's hand painfully tight, causing her to yelp slightly as he tugged her into his side.

Dean stepped forward followed by half the Serpents a low growl coming from the Southside, Jughead stood nose to nose with Chuck 

"Let. her. go." He hissed, his eyes looking absolutely lethal. 

"She's my girl, Southside trash." Chuck smiled darkly, his hand moving to lewdly grip Betty's ass as she squirmed underneath his arm, her eyes avoiding Jugheads. 

That was the last straw, Jughead didn't even realize he had launched himself at the bulky boy until his fists were covered in blood and the roaring of the brawl rang through his ears. He glanced up to see the Serpents versus Riverdale, dropping Chuck by the shirt he looked around frantically before finally finding what he was looking for. 

Betty was being held by a dark haired girl in a similar uniform as Another Serpent, Adam, stood in front of them, shielding the pair from the onslaught of flying fists. 

"Veronica, Betty!" A new voice called from the middle of the chaos, Out walked a red headed boy, his jersey ripped as he ran towards them and quickly ushered them outside. Jughead glanced up at his gang, a familiar voice shouted into his ear

"Go after her, we'll be fine." Keith mumbled, swinging his fist at a boy named Moose. 

Jughead sprinted towards the door, he saw Betty talking intently with the red haired boy and the dark haired girl, he made his way over, sighing in relief as Betty dropped herself into his arms, he placed a hand on the back of her neck, tangling himself in her hair as he pushed her against his chest, she sobbed openly, the events of the day finally catching up to her. 

"You're okay." She cried "I saw him go after you, I was so scared.." she trailed off as he shushed her and held her tight, his eyes closing at the familiar, comforting scent that invaded his nose. 

"It's okay." He whispered against her forehead, pulling away to catch her eyes. She brought her fingers up to his cheek and brought them back to reveal a smudge of blonde on her tiny fingers.

"You're bleeding" her voice broke in unrestrained guilt 

"This is not your fault." He assured her "none of this is. This war that's going on? It's bigger than any of us, there's nothing we can do but go along with it." He dropped a kiss to her forehead as she nodded.

A very feminine cough brought them both out of their bubble, Jughead looking at the raven haired girl who was staring at them with confused eyes.  
Betty blushed bright red and wiped her eyes.

"Verinca, Archie, this is Jughead, he's a...friend" she smiled shyly. 

Veronica raised a brow but smiled none the less  
"Nice to meet you, Jughead...friend" the hesitance was in her eyes but she still extended her hand which he shook quickly. 

Archie stepped forward his hand coming up to clap around Jughead shoulder  
"Anyone who's a friend of Betty's is a friend of mine, now what do you say we get out of here, I think I hear police sirens" the red head scratched his neck nervously. "You coming?" He asked Betty who shook her head, 

"I think I need to walk home. I need to clear my mind" she smiled gratefully at her neighbor and he nodded, throwing a wave to Jughead  
"See you around pal" 

Jughead walked beside Betty  
"Is he always that friendly?" He asked confused 

Betty smiled softly  
"Always. There's not a mean bone in his body." 

Jughead nodded silently, they hardly talked the entire walk home, the comfortable silence a welcome change. When they arrived at her front door, Betty turned to Jughead 

"I'm done this time. I'm not going back with him, I can't keep letting him treat me this way" there was a fire in her eyes and for the first time in Jugheads life he believed someone.

"You really think I would let you go back to him now? After that? Not that I'm trying to control your choices or anything, but you've officially left a stain on every Serpents heart. I'd be surprised if they didn't follow you around everywhere from now on." He teased lightly, Betty blushing and looking to her front door. 

"I'll see you tommorow right?" She asked hopefully.

Jughead leaned forward, dropping a slow kiss to her forehead

"You got it angel" 

She closed her eyes for a second before quickly heading inside, her heart beating out of her chest. 

Jughead made his way through the trailer park, stopping at everyone's home to make sure all of his friends had made it out okay, the general consensus was that the Southside had won this battle but the fight was far from over.

Slamming the door to his own trailer, Jughead threw off his leather jacket and let the silly smile he had felt coming on all day, grace his face. 

"Heard you started at a fight on the north side today?" 

Jughead whipped around, sighing as he saw his father sat in the love seat, a beer bottle hanging loosely in his hand.

"Yeah.." he started as his father got up 

"Good, it's time we start fighting this war. I'm proud of you." His father came over and ruffled Jugheads hair. 

Jughead but the inside of his cheek  
"Alright dad." 

"I'll see you tomorrow at the snake bar, big news kid" he said before he walked out the door, slamming it so hard the walls shook. 

"Thanks dad." He whispered bitterly into the barren, lonely trailer


	4. 4

Jughead slammed his hand against the metal trailer door, leaving it swinging open and letting the cool air filter into his dirty,stale home. He was so angry he couldn't see straight, his knuckles were aching for something to hit and the closest thing was his kitchen cabinet.

The meeting at Snake bar went as well as could be expected, the older members of the Serpents were gearing up for quite the battle against Clifford Blossom and his many Riverdale cronies, F.P led the meeting declaring all out war and explaining his expectations, Jughead had been minding his own business leaning against a bar stool when he heard his name leave his fathers lips. 

"We'll need to get in their heads, show them no one is safe, not even their children, Jughead can lead the march on that one. The fight at Pops yesterday was a good start but we need more, go after more than the football team, I want you to take on every Riverdale High student you can, I know you all seem to have a way with the girls, work your way there." 

There were murmurs of agreement from the young boys as they high fived and grinned wickedly. Fortunately Keith and Dean came to stand behind Jughead, a few other Serpents following, they liked Betty, they wanted to keep her safe they wouldn't go along with this stupid plan. 

"You got that son?" F.P asked dangerously. His father had been scorned by Clifford Blossom and he would stop at nothing to take him down, Jughead knew parts of his old dad were buried deep inside the jaded, bitter man but it was getting harder and harder to find him. 

"Yeah F.P, you got it." He mumbled.

For a moment Jughead swore he saw his father flinch at the choice of name, but before he had a chance to analyze it, the man was back to discussing plans to take down the north side.

"This is what you were born into Jughead, this is your legacy" he mocked, spitting into the sink and slamming his hand on the countertop.

"Is now not a good time?" 

He whipped around at the familiar voice and stared wide eyed as Betty stood nervously in his doorway, her tiny white skirt and soft yellow tank top stood out drastically against his dirty metal trailer. 

Shaking his head quickly, he moved towards her, gently tugging her inside and away from prying eyes 

"No! No, it's never a bad time for you." He smiled, placing a hand to her arm and tracing a finger over the veins on her wrist. 

Betty looked at him skeptically before her eyes lit up   
"Is that a dog?! You have a dog!" She pointed behind him and he turned to see his trusty sheep dog, hotdog, poking his head from behind the door. Looking back up to Betty's eyes he couldn't help but chuckle at the unrestrained excitement, he released her and she flew towards the shaggy white dog.

"Hi love! Your daddy didn't tell me you existed, I would've come here a long time ago." She giggled as the dog placed a sloppy kiss to her cheek, she pushed her face into his fur and scratched his belly. Jughead watched the scene with a goofy smile on his face, for some reason she seemed to fit perfectly into his trailer, her bright smile and laughter instantly lighting up his dark home, the Southside could use a little bit of her sunshine.  
She looked up at him and smiled, beckoning him to come join her. 

Dropping to his knees he scratched behind the dogs ear as Betty cooed lovingly, there was something unbelievably maternal about her, something Jughead hadn't seen since he was six years old. 

"He doesn't get out much, especially now with the turf war going on. I can't let him out of my sight, you never know the lengths these people will go to hurt people like me, can't risk this one getting caught up in the cross fire." He looked at her fully, his eyes boring into hers, hoping she understood his hidden message. 

Betty looked back at him with equal intensity   
"Well some things are worth getting hurt for. I think hotdog is willing to make that sacrifice." She answered softly, her hand coming up to grasp his cheek as she stroked behind his ear, his eyes fluttering closed 

"Hey! I've got a plan." She pulled her hand away, standing up and brushing her hands on her skirt   
"I think we could both use an escape, and hotdog could definitely use a place to run free for a bit, there's a carnival over in Pembrooke it's only a few towns over, that means the beach will be completely deserted, hotdog can run as far as his little heart can take him." She bent down and ruffled the excited dogs fur "you'd like that wouldn't you boy?" 

The dog barked and wagged his tail, pushing his snout against Betty's palm as she giggled, Jughead smiled, grabbing his Serpents jacket from its space on the couch and pulling her hand towards his truck, hotdog happily following along before hopping in the back seat. 

Jughead never thought an hour long car ride could be so amusing, between Betty's singing (and damn was her voice the prettiest thing he'd ever heard) and hotdog howling alone, he bought his face might break from smiling so much, she laughed along to his stories about Dean and his absolute hatred of anything alcoholic and he internaly celebrated when she described Her embarrassing childhood crush on Archie and how when they kissed she realized she felt nothing for him. 

He only had to bite the inside of his mouth a few times when he noticed bruises he had never seen before as she lifted her arms up making the tiny tank top rise and reveal pieces of her stomach. 

After about an hour of hotdog running through the water and Betty splashing Jughead with the salty ocean waves, they were both fairly exhausted as the sun went down but neither of the teens had ever felt so happy or content. 

Clutching Betty's hand as they watched hotdog trail the edge of the water Jughead heard her sigh softly

"I wish it could stay like this, we could just stay here, never have to go back, never have to worry about divided homes and responsibilities." She whispered, reading his mind. 

He squeezed her hand tighter and nodded   
"I know, it just feels like.. like the world is closing in on me sometimes, like I'm right there in the ocean but I can't get out, I'm drowning." He looked down at her eyes and saw her nod understandingly, urging him to finish, to let it out. 

"My dad.. he just.. he wants me to be this almighty Serpent prodigy, and yeah I love the Serpents, they're my family but.. I don't want it to be like this.. I don't want our town to be separated. This responsibility to do what he thinks is right.. it's all bullshit." 

Saying it all out loud, letting float into the waves, he felt like a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulders and it was all thanks to the beautiful girl beside him who was looking at him with complete understanding and respect.

"I get that" she said "I'm so tired of trying to do what everyone thinks is right. I'm so tired of letting everyone hurt me." She instinctively placed a hand to the bruises on her wrist "but Jughead, with you right now? I feel safe, like I can be myself, I know it sounds silly but.." she was cut off by Jughead bringing her wrist to his mouth placing a gentle kiss to her bruises. 

"It's not silly, I feel the same way. I can't remember a time where I've felt so... at home." He whispered against her pulse. 

Betty brought her free hand up to his cheek, cupping it and smiling shyly 

"Are you gonna kiss me or not Jughead Jones" 

With wide eyes Jughead didn't waste a second, dropping his lips to hers and instantly melting, it was like a ship coming into dock, she tasted like strawberries and vanilla and he had to muffle his moan against her lips. She gripped the lapels of his jacket and brought him even tighter against her, the taste of cigarettes and peppermint was now officially one of Betty's favorite flavors. 

The moment was broken in a flash as Hotdog leaped on both of them sending them flying into the sand, Betty dropped on top of Jughead as Hotdog attacked his dads face with messy kisses. 

"Alright boy! Okay!" He laughed freely, his hands coming around Betty's wait and pulling her against his chest as they sat facing the ocean.

Sure there was a war going on in their very little town, but right here right now, two damaged kids had found their home and they weren't giving it up for anything.


	5. 5

He was practically floating on air, the goofy smile that seemed a permanent fixture on his face today was driving his friends crazy, and that only spurred him on, what fun was a secret if you didn't use it to mess with people?

"Come on man, what's with the stupid face? You haven't stopped grinning since you drove up this morning. I didn't think you even knew how to smile?" Dean teased, elbowing Jughead in the side and impatiently waiting for an explanation. 

"What? A guy can't be happy around here. Maybe I really like what's on the lunch menu today." He shrugged lazily, pulling a long drag out of the cigarette hanging from his mouth, a few of the Serpents stood outside Southside high while Jughead leaned against his motorcycle, the extra wide smile still playing on his lips. 

"You eat everything, you don't care what's on the menu" Keith rolled his eyes, shrugging his jacket off and taking in the late fall, early summer sun "this wouldn't have anything to do with our very own ball of sunshine, little miss Betty Cooper, would it?" He smirked knowingly. 

There were hushed laughs and immature "ooooohhhsss" 

Jughead popped the collar of his jacket, rolling his eyes  
"And if it is? I can't help the fact that someone like her wants to be with me, she's.. special" He smiled proudly. 

A few of the boys began cracking up and some of them made obnoxious fake throw up noises. 

"Yeah whatever, find a girl like mine and you'll Change your mind real fast" he threw his hands at them, putting his cigarette out. 

"You're dad will be happy." Keith said knowingly, his eyes sympathetic.

Dean looked worriedly at Jughead, for a boy his size, he was most definitely all bite no bark

"You ain't just with her because of what your dad said right? About us getting in Riverdales head? Because Betty's real nice and I don't want to see her get hurt." He said slowly, warning evident in his voice.

"You don't have to worry about that, what me and Betty have is real. My dad has nothing to do with the way we feel about each other, if it gets him off my back for a while, so be it. But im not letting him anywhere near this relationship. I'm not letting anyone near this relationship." He cast his eyes too a group of particular nasty Serpents in the corner who were eyeing Jughead with an unfamiliar look. 

"Figured we'd stop by Pops again after school, as corny as that place is, the burgers are some of the best." A lanky Serpent named Jacob said,a few of the other boys voicing there agreement.

"Sounds like a plan." Jughead nodded Cooly, pulling his phone out and sending a text to his favorite girl 

JUGHEAD: wanna grab a milkshake after school? On me ;)

He bobbed his knee anxiously waiting for the text, quickly opening his phone as it lit up. 

BETTY: wouldn't you much rather it be on me? ;)

He nearly choked on his own breath after reading the message, his eyes going wide, another message popped up and he eagerly opened it.

BETTY: I have no idea where that came from. What are you doing to me Jughead Jones? ;) a milkshake sounds amazing, bring your friends I'll bring mine. Can't wait to see you. Miss you.

He clutched the phone in his hand, his heart instantly feeling lighter, she had such a damn effect on him, it scared him sometimes, but the excitement overshadowed the fear and he found himself anticipating seeing her face. 

The day went by quickly and before Jughead knew it he was pulling into Pop Tate's Parking lot, the rumble of motorcycles following him as his gang parked their bikes, heading for the door in a rowdy bundle. Jughead stood beside Keith and Dean, his eyes scanning from the doorway, softening when he spotted Betty standing beside a booth on her tiptoes, looking around for Jughead, when she caught his eyes, she grinned leaning down and whispering something in Veronica's ear, the dark haired girl turning towards him and rolled her eyes playfully. 

The three boys made their way over and stood before the booth awkwardly, Archie moved over from his seat, and dean dropped beside him, shaking the entire table with his mass.

"Woah there big boy!" Veronica laughed, her hands coming out to steady herself as Archie clapped him on the shoulder  
"We sure could use you on the football team!" He laughed as Dean grinned shyly. 

Betty slid into the booth, Jughead sliding directly beside her, his arm instantly coming to rest on her shoulders. Betty looked up at him with light eyes  
"Hi" she whispered.

Jughead brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and smiled "hi" 

The conversation was light and fun, Archie and Jughead realizing how much they had in common and Keith and Veronica discussing fashion, a secret passion of Keith's. Kevin had pretty much fallen in love and Dean was just happy to eat and listen to the stories, occasionally setting both the girls into fits of giggles at his barking laugh. 

An hour later, the perfect bubble they had been in burst with a very audible pop. 

"Elizabeth Cooper! What on earth do you think you're doing?!" The shrill voice of a middle aged women, followed by a man who looked exceptionally like Betty rang through the tiny diner. 

Betty stiffened in Jughead arms, her whole body shaking slightly as she stood almost robotically. 

"Mom. Dad" she whispered, taking shaky steps out of the booth 

"What are you doing here?! Don't you know you have tutoring? And Latin class? And what's this I hear about you ending Cheerleading practice early? What's the matter with you?!" She screamed in her daughters face.

Betty shook her head  
"It's Friday, I was just.." she was cut off by the older man clutching her wrist

"Don't talk to your mother like that, keep your mouth shut, let's go." He tugged Betty towards the door, the blonde losing her footing and tripping slightly, her eyes downcast as she winced. 

Jughead was out of the booth in seconds flat, his eyes lethal as Archie followed closely behind, Jughead gripped Betty's fathers hand that was wrapped around Betty's wrist 

"Let her go." He growled as Hal Cooper, stared shocked at his hand 

"You don't know who you're messing with boy" he hissed as Alice waved her hands frantically. 

"You've been hanging around these people. Their kind " she spat, her eyes narrowing on Jughead as he shook his head still glaring at Hal, he opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off when Betty stepped forward. 

"Don't talk about them like that. They have more class in one finger than you do in your entire body." She said dangerously, standing toe to toe with her shocked mother.

"You don't know anything about them." Betty spoke 

Alice shook her head  
"I know enough. I know enough to know these people are nothing but trash, nothing but thugs, nothing but.." suddenly a glass soared past the older woman's head, smashing against the wall behind her head, sending glass flying as Betty stood in front of her, her hands shaking 

"You need to leave." She hissed , her eyes dark as the entire diner went dead silent, to make matters worse Chuck and his football players stormed in through the front doors, noticing the motorcycles in the front they had come for a fight. Noting the tension, they stopped abruptly and watched. 

"Elizabeth, we'll discuss this at home." Alice Cooper said her voice shaky, as she touched a hand to her chest. 

"No." she said finally, testing the word out on her lips "no I'm not going with you." She finished finally.

Hal laughed bitterly  
"Where will you go? Who's gonna want you? Now that you're some Serpent Slut?" The man smiled wickedly. 

Betty looked down at her hands helplessly and Jughead stepped forward, coming up to grip her now bruised wrist. 

"She'll stay with me." He said, tugging her towards the door, his arm coming around to wrap around her protectively as he ushered her towards the door, shoving past Chuck and his friends as they shouted, an all out screaming war broke out.  
Chuck reached for Betty's hand 

"Think about what you're doing Betty, think about your decisions." He said dangerously, threatening her. 

Jughead pushed her softly ahead of him and turned to chuck, slamming him against the wall  
"You touch her, you look at her, you even breathe in her presence, I will kill you. I swear to god, I'll make you wish you were never born." The boy fell against the wall as Jughead released him.

Jughead turned back to see Veronica and Archie and Kevin slipping out the back with Dean and Keith right beside him. The dark haired boy jumped on his bike, reaching a hand out for Betty, who looked at him nervously. 

"Do you trust me?" He shouted over the noise. 

With one final glance back at the chaos behind her, Betty gripped his hand and climbed onto the back of the bike, her hands wrapping securely around her waist. 

"You ready angel?" He said when she dropped her chin to his neck. 

She pressed her nose to his pulse point and nodded 

"Take me away Romeo."


	6. Chapter 6

Jughead tugged gently on Betty's hand, smiling as she shook out her long blonde hair, eyes sparkling as her hands ran over the dark blue cheerleading skirt. 

"That was amazing! I've never felt like that before! It was so... Liberating!" Betty followed quickly behind Jughead as he chuckled "I mean it was crazy, it was dangerous and freeing..Jughead thankyou so much."

The dark haired boy turned around, placing a hand to Betty's cheek and staring deep into her meadow green eyes, his fingers traced the fading blue and purple bruise on her jaw  
"I would do anything for you Betty Cooper." He whispered replacing his fingers with his lips as he kissed her bruise. She practically melted against him, the weight of this afternoon finally catching up to the blonde 

"They hate me, I've always known..I mean my dad..he.. But my mom. The way she looked at me.." Betty shivered, her chin wresting on Jugheads chest as his long arms wrapped around her body, the familiar scent of leather and cigarette smoke invading her nose. 

"They're idiots, all of them." Jughead whispered into her ear, the rain was falling now and it was warm " they don't know you" he continued , causing Betty to look up squinting against the rain " they don't really know you, if they did they would never let you go." 

Her eyes softened and something tightened in her chest, something unfamiliar , something deep. She slowly brought her lips to his own smiling ones, just as they were about to touch, a clap of lightening shattered the sky, both the teens jumping backwards, Betty giggled.

" talk about electric chemistry ." 

Jughead grinned, staring at her with nothing but mischeif in his eyes 

"Why are you looking at me like that? And why are you walking towards me like.." Betty cut herself off with a yelp as Jughead lifted her up bridal style, squeezing her into his body, he kicked open the front door of his trailer

" welcome home Betty Cooper."   
He gently placed her on the ground his arms wrapping around her waist as she leaned against him.

" juggie..you don't have to do this, I can find someplace else to stay.. It can't be good for you to have me here, with this civil war going on, I mean.." 

Jughead peppered kisses to Betty's neck, " there's no place I'd rather you be, you're safe here..with me." He turned slowly "I need you safe." His eyes were dark and serious

"Somethings coming isn't it? Something big?" Betty asked cautiously, her fingers resting on his chest as she looked up

Jughead pushed a honey blonde strand of hair out of the beautiful blondes face,   
" I won't let anything happen to you. I'm going to keep you safe." He promised 

Betty brought a kiss to the side of Jugheads mouth   
"Its not me I'm worried about." She said softly, Jughead's hands tightening around her waist 

" you don't have to worry, I can take care of myself." 

Betty stepped away from him a whisp of a smile on her face 

" you shouldn't have to." She made her way to the kitchen " I'll cook up something for dinner." 

Jughead ran his fingers through his hair, grinning as he watched the beautiful blonde make herself at home in his tiny one bedroom trailer


End file.
